Writing
In a world where technology and social media become the gospel of so many, and in a world where there is hardly a single person unaffected by social media, online experiences have become a great and terrible thing. While there are all different types, one of the most widely used platforms is a media sharing site called YouTube, on which users can create, upload, and share a variety of types of videos and other media. Millions have and still do benefit from YouTube for various reasons, and with its popularity, it is only natural that YouTube would create a similar platform but meant entirely for children: YouTube Kids. While it was intended for good, there are, unfortunately, those who would abuse and pervert a good thing. From horrifying to disturbing to disgusting content, people of all ages and demographics are at risk of finding something traumatizing due to the sadistic individuals who relish causing disharmony, shock, and upset. This disturbance is problematic on its own, but it becomes borderline epidemic when the most vulnerable of viewers are also at risk on a platform meant entirely 'to make it safer and simpler for kids to explore the world through online video - from their favorite shows and music to learning how to build a model volcano ... and everything in between' (YouTube Kids). Recent discoveries have revealed that on this children's platform there are videos romanticizing suicide and encouraging harm to oneself and others. It is becoming increasingly difficult to make sure that everyone is as protected as they can be while using the Internet and YouTubes, and while it is important to try and devise a way to keep things safer for all users, it is most important to first try and make a platform with 'kids' in the title safer for its intended users. In order to help keep children safer and enable them to still reap the benefits of this valuable and educational platform, parents should still allow their kids access but take a more proactive stance by filtering out videos their kids are watching and demanding YouTube Kids to alter their policies by having real people monitor videos that are intended for real children. The History of YouTube The Advantages of YouTube Kids The Disadvantages of YouTube Kids The Big Problem YouTube Kids is supposed to be a kid friendly version of YouTube that children can navigate freely while parents can be confident that their children will be exposed to no malicious content. Unfortunately, the system has failed numerous times in preventing inappropriate content from reaching children. An automated system is set in place in order to filter out inappropriate videos, but this system does not catch every malicious video. “The automated process -- one YouTube calls very thorough -- can take days. A human doesn't check the videos before they're added, but parents can flag videos they find alarming later and a content reviewer will check it out. However, it is unlikely parents are constantly watching YouTube Kids videos along with their children. It's possible this safety guard isn't sufficient for catching every odd video your kid might see” (Kelly, 2018). Some disturbed users have found a way around the system by either hacking, or by inserting snippets of inappropriate content between clips of a children's program. While YouTube Kids has now implemented a feature that allows parents to flag such videos as inappropriate, this still leaves an issue that is not addressed. In order for these videos to be flagged, a child will more than likely have to see the content. At this point they are already exposed to the video, and it could potentially scar them. Additionally, when a video is flagged, it still needs to be reviewed before it is removed, which means that in the meantime, more children could be exposed to the content. While there is a filtration system in place, it is not getting the job done well enough to protect the children for whom the platform is meant. What Should Be Done? Conclusion